Ministerial Alliance to hold National Day of Prayer

Sara Higgins

Published 12:00 pm, Thursday, April 26, 2012

Photo: Cindeka Nealy

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Mid Cities Church member Betty Isaacs leads her group as she prays for members of the community, local and national leaders, and the military Thursday during last year's annual National Day of Prayer breakfast at First Presbyterian Church. file photo/Cindeka Nealy/Reporter-Telegram less

Mid Cities Church member Betty Isaacs leads her group as she prays for members of the community, local and national leaders, and the military Thursday during last year's annual National Day of Prayer breakfast ... more

Photo: Cindeka Nealy

Ministerial Alliance to hold National Day of Prayer

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The Midland Ministerial Alliance will bring the National Day of Prayer to a local level at True-Lite Christian Fellowship Church on Thursday.

The event, which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., will include prayer for all levels of government and local issues of concern. Music will be provided by the True-Lite praise team, and local religious leaders will lead attendees in prayer. The event is open and free to the public.

The first proclamation of a National Day of Prayer was signed into law in 1952 by President Harry Truman, which was amended later by President Ronald Reagan to hold the event on the first Thursday of May each year.

Last year's Midland National Day of Prayer brought about 300 attendees, according to the Rev. Roy Smith, past president of the alliance and pastor of True-Lite. In addition to prayers for the government and leadership, Smith said attendees of the event will be invited to pray for families and youth.

"We'll be praying for relationships of marriage because the essence of any community are their families," he said. "If our families are broken, our community will reflect that."

The group also will pray for children in the aftermath of local teen suicides and the growing number of students bringing in a wide range of diversity.

"It seems they are the silent voices that never get heard," Smith said. "We want to make sure our kids have a voice and that voice is heard."

The Midland Ministerial Alliance is an ecumenical group of ministers from around the city that meets once a month to talk about the needs of the community, specifically in regards to the welfare of the city in a spiritual sense.

"As pastors and spiritual leaders of our community, our obligation is to deal with the heart of man," Smith explained.

By hosting the prayer event, the group hopes to reiterate the importance of spiritual wellness to attendees.

"We hope that they're thinking about their relationship with the Lord and their relationship with their family and their fellow man," Smith said. "That it's not just a bunch of talk, but it's actually something they pursue."